SB 1.6.20 - 27The Lord instructs Narada Muni, and Narada Muni follows His instructions

Until his Death

Offering obeisancesnäräyaëaà namaskåtya

naraà caiva narottamamdevéà sarasvatéà vyäsaà

tato jayam udérayet

“Before reciting this Çrémad-Bhägavatam, which is the very means of conquest, one should offer respectful obeisances unto the Personality of Godhead, Näräyaëa, unto Nara-näräyaëa Åñi, the supermost human being, unto mother Sarasvaté, the goddess of learning, and unto Çréla Vyäsadeva, the author.” SB 1.2.4

nañöa-präyeñv abhadreñunityaà bhägavata-sevayäbhagavaty uttama-çloke

bhaktir bhavati naiñöhiké

“By regular attendance in classes on the Bhägavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.” SB1.2.18

SB 1.6.20evam yatantam vijanemām āhāgocaro girām

gambhīra-ślaksnayā vācāśucah praśamayann iva

SYNONYMSevam — thus; yatantam — one who is engaged in attempting; vijane — in that lonely

place; mām — unto me; āha — said; agocarah — beyond the range of physical sound; girām — utterances;gambhīra — grave; ślaksnayā —

pleasing to hear; vācā — words; śucah — grief; praśamayan — mitigating; iva — like.

TRANSLATIONSeeing my attempts in that lonely place, the Personality of Godhead, who is

transcendental to all mundane description, spoke to me with gravity and pleasing words, just to mitigate my grief.

SB 1.6.20• A devotee always feels pangs of separation

– That is transcendental ecstasy– Separation from Krishna’s devotees, Krishna’s name, Krishna’s service, Krishna

Katha• Just be sincere

• Perceiving the Lord– Lord is above the perception of senses– Still out of His causeless mercy He makes Himself perceptible

• To one who He is pleased with• Not to the non-devotees (BG 7.25)

– Special gift only for Sri Narada• He could see during probationary period of DS

SB 1.6.21hantāsmiñ janmani bhavānmā mām drastum ihārhati

avipakva-kasāyānāmdurdarśo 'ham kuyoginām

SYNONYMShanta — O Nārada; asmin — this; janmani — duration of life; bhavān — yourself; mā — not; mām — Me; drastum — to see; iha — here; arhati — deserve; avipakva — immature; kasāyānām — material dirt; durdarśah —

difficult to be seen; aham — I; kuyoginām — incomplete in service.TRANSLATION

O Nārada [the Lord spoke], I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and who are not completely

free from all material taints can hardly see Me.

SB 1.6.21• Supreme Personality of Godhead

– Most pure– One who has slightest tinge of materiality cant approach Him

• Hold on to Srila Prabhupada’s Dhoti!

• Impurity in Srila Narada Muni???– Mode of goodness– Steps of purity – Removal of

• Passion and Ignorance (Kama and Lobha)• Then goodness

– Searching for God• Goodness (Forest)• Passion (Cities)• Ignorance (Brothels, Night clubs)• Transcendence (Temple)

– Recommended for neophyte devotees (Deity Worship – Beginning of DS)

• Narada Muni’s current life– Preaching instead of going to forest– We follow in his footsteps

All on a platter!• Best transcendental environment

– One of the best temples• Enthusiastic, energetic

– Most Loving devotees• On top of that

– Most wealthy country– Most successful companies– High salaries– Beautiful neighborhood– Minimum travel

So lets preach!

SB 1.6.22sakrd yad darśitam rūpam

etat kāmāya te 'naghamat-kāmah śanakaih sādhusarvān muñcati hrc-chayān

SYNONYMSsakrt — once only; yat — that; darśitam — shown; rūpam — form; etat — this

is; kāmāya — for hankerings; te — your; anagha — O virtuous one; mat — Mine; kāmah — desire; śanakaih — by increasing; sādhuh —

devotee; sarvān — all; muñcati — gives away; hrt-śayān — material desires.TRANSLATION

O virtuous one, you have only once seen My person, and this is just to increase your desire for Me, because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed

from all material desires.

• Why does Krishna makes Himself perceptible directly/indirectly?– Just to increase our hankering for Him

• Hankering for Krishna = Hankering for His service– His service and His person are identical– Service to Krishna = Seeing Krishna

• The only means to see = Service– Atah Sri Krishna Namadi

• Choose your hankering!– Material Entanglement– Krishna’s Service Liberation

• Hankering for Krishna Freedom from material hankering– Also the other way round..

Nature of Transcendental Hankering

• The more you satisfy the hankering (by engaging in service)– The more you hanker ad infinitum (SB 1.18.14)– Eternal (Real) ever increasing satisfaction (Suprasidati)

• Tusyanti ca Ramanti ca

– Natural to the soul (Paro Dharma)

• Material hankering– “Law of Satiation” applies– Temporary (unreal) satisfaction– A new toy everytime!

No satiation!• SB 1.18.14 Can anyone who is expert in relishing nectar [rasa] ever be fully

satiated by hearing topics about Him?• SB 1.1.19 We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality

of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes at every moment.

Mundane news is static whereas transcendental news is dynamic, in as much as the spirit is dynamic and matter is static. Those who have developed a taste for understanding the transcendental subject matter are never tired of hearing such narrations. One is quickly satiated by mundane activities, but no one is satiated by transcendental or devotional activities. Uttama-sloka indicates that literature which is not meant for nescience. Mundane literature is in the mode of darkness or ignorance, whereas transcendental literature is quite different. Transcendental literature is above the mode of darkness, and its light becomes more luminous with progressive reading and realization of the transcendental subject matter.

• What is the result of the hankering/service?

SB 1.6.23sat-sevayādīrghayāpi

jātā mayi drdhā matihhitvāvadyam imam lokam

gantā maj-janatām asiSYNONYMS

sat-sevayā — by service of the Absolute Truth; adīrghayā — for some days; api — even; jātā — having attained; mayi — unto Me; drdhā — firm; matih — intelligence; hitvā — having given up; avadyam— deplorable; imam — this; lokam — material worlds; gantā — going to; mat-

janatām — My associates; asi — become.TRANSLATION

By service of the Absolute Truth, even for a few days, a devotee attains firm and fixed intelligence in Me. Consequently he goes on to become My associate in the transcendental world after

giving up the present deplorable material worlds.

• Serving the Absolute Truth means– Serving the SPG

• Under the direction of a bonafide SM– who is a transparent medium between the Lord and the neophyte devotee

• The Only means to know God – “Atah Sri Krishna Namadi”• Service gives Intelligence

– “Dadami Buddhi Yogam Tvam”• Intelligence

– “ By which you can come to Me”– Give up the deplorable material world– Become one of the liberated associates of the Lord (Mat-Janatam)

Service IntelligenceGiving up the

material world

Become a liberated

associate of the Lord

• What if I lose it?

SB 1.6.24matir mayi nibaddheyam

na vipadyeta karhicitprajā-sarga-nirodhe 'pi

smrtiś ca mad-anugrahātSYNONYMS

matih — intelligence; mayi — devoted to Me; nibaddhā — engaged; iyam — this; na — never; vipadyeta — separate; karhicit — at any time; prajā — living beings; sarga — at the

time of creation;nirodhe — also at the time of annihilation; api — even; smrtih — remembrance; ca — and; mat — Mine; anugrahāt — by the mercy of.

TRANSLATIONIntelligence engaged in My devotion cannot be thwarted at any time. Even at the time of creation,

as well as at the time of annihilation, your remembrance will continue by My mercy.

• BG 2.40– “Nehabhikrama..”

• Eternal time frame• Akarma/Spiritual A/c balance only goes up!

SB 1.6.25etāvad uktvopararāma tan mahad

bhūtam nabho-lińgam alińgam īśvaramaham ca tasmai mahatām mahīyase

śīrsnāvanāmam vidadhe 'nukampitahSYNONYMS

etāvat — thus; uktvā — spoken; upararāma — stopped; tat — that; mahat — great; bhūtam — wonderful; nabhah-lińgam — personified by sound; alińgam — unseen by the eyes; īśvaram — the supreme authority; aham — I; ca — also; tasmai — unto Him; mahatām — the great; mahīyase — unto the glorified; śīrsnā — by the

head; avanāmam — obeisances; vidadhe — executed; anukampitah— being favored by Him.TRANSLATION

Then that supreme authority, personified by sound and unseen by eyes, but most wonderful, stopped speaking. Feeling a sense of gratitude, I offered my obeisances unto Him, bowing my

head.

• Supreme Lord is His Vani– Can be seen and realized by His Vani

• The Vedas– The Bhagavad Gita is identical to the Lord

• Arjuna realized this on returning to Hastinapur after Lord’s departure

• The need– Persistent chanting of the Transcendental sound

• Now I know...

SB 1.6.26nāmāny anantasya hata-trapah pathan

guhyāni bhadrāni krtāni ca smarangām paryatams tusta-manā gata-sprhah

kālam pratīksan vimado vimatsarahSYNONYMS

nāmāni — the holy name, fame, etc.; anantasya — of the unlimited; hata-trapah — being freed from all formalities of the material world; pathan — by recitation, repeated reading,

etc.; guhyāni — mysterious; bhadrāni — all benedictory; krtāni — activities; ca — and; smaran — constantly remembering; gām — on the earth; paryatan — traveling all

through; tusta-manāh — fully satisfied;gata-sprhah — completely freed from all material desires; kālam — time; pratīksan — awaiting; vimadah — without being proud; vimatsarah —

without being envious.TRANSLATION

Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental

pastimes of the Lord are benedictory. So doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious.

• The child now became aware that he could associate with the Lord through constant devotional service

– Began to continuously chant Lord’s Holy Name and Fame– The child already began to act like Narada Muni

• Even in this material body• A Devotee’s life in a nutshell

– After initiation from the Lord or His representative• One single desire (Vyavasayatmika Buddhir)

– To go back to Godhead– Which awaits them in near future

• Non envious• Not proud• Fully satisfied• Takes seriously chanting the name and glories of the Lord• Travels all over the world so others may hear the message

– According to one’s personal capacity– Preach to the walls if no one comes – Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakura

SB 1.6.27evam krsna-mater brahman

nāsaktasyāmalātmanahkālah prādurabhūt kāletadit saudāmanī yathā

SYNONYMSevam — thus; krsna-mateh — one who is fully absorbed in thinking

of Krsna; brahman — O Vyāsadeva; na — not; āsaktasya — of one who is attached; amala-ātmanah — of one who is completely free from all material dirt; kālah —

death; prādurabhūt — become visible; kāle — in the course of time; tadit — lightning; saudāmanī — illuminating; yathā — as it is.

TRANSLATIONAnd so, O Brāhmana Vyāsadeva, in due course of time I, who was fully absorbed in thinking

of Krsna and who therefore had no attachments, being completely freed from all material taints, met with death, as lightning and illumination occur simultaneously.

• Fully absorbed in thoughts of Krishna means– Clearance of material dirts or hankerings

• Like a rich man has no hankering for small petty things• Sign of a spiritually enriched person

• Death, at his leisure, suddenly appeared before Narada Muni• For a pure devotee

– Death is like simultaneous• Lightning – Loss of the current body• Illumination – Development of a spiritual body

– Spiritualized body even before death• Red hot iron in contact with fire

Summary• Service to Krishna

– Means Seeing Krishna– Is the only means to see Krishna– Gives intelligence– Is never lost– Leads to the ultimate goal - BTG

• “Law of satiation” does not apply to Krishna’s service, name, katha etc.– The more you do, the more you hanker– Gives the ever increasing ultimate satisfaction

• Best place for the cultivation of service– A temple ( it is transcendental)

• The highest transcendental activity– Follow Narada Muni’s example

• Travel and preach throughout the world, as per your personal capacity

• F or one thus purified, change of body– Simultaneous lightning and illumination

References:

• Srila Prabhupada’s purports on these verses• HG Bhurijana Prabhu’s book: “Unveiling His

Lotus Feet”• ISKCONDESIRETREE

– HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s lecture – 1.6.34– HH Mahanidhi Swami’s lecture – 1.6.27